Leadwort

Sun

Full sun to partial shade; afternoon shade helps in hot climates. Flowering and autumn colour are usually best with good light.

Water

Water regularly while establishing, then during prolonged dry spells. Established plants tolerate some drought but dislike persistently wet soil.

Soil

Well-drained soil of average fertility; tolerates chalk and a range of soil pH levels. Improve drainage in heavy clay.

Height

0.5-1 ft (0.15-0.3 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m), spreading farther over time

Flowers

Late summer to autumn; vivid blue flowers with reddish calyces

Foliage

Oval green leaves turn bronze, burgundy and red in autumn before falling. New shoots appear relatively late in spring.

Growth

Moderate; faster in warm, well-drained soil

Care needed

Low

• Pollinators
• Deer resistant
• Drought tolerant
• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Easy

Toughness

Very tough

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   0.2 ft (0.06 m)

2. After 1 year

   0.5 ft (0.14 m)

3. After 2 years

   0.7 ft (0.22 m)

   full size

About 2 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Mildly toxic: may upset a stomach

Growth rate

Fast

• Water deeply during the first growing season whenever the soil begins to dry.
• Avoid frequent watering once established, especially in heavy soil.
• Apply a light dressing of compost in spring; routine heavy feeding is unnecessary.
• In colder areas, apply a loose winter mulch after the ground cools, keeping it away from the crown.
• Divide congested patches in spring and remove unwanted spreading shoots.
• Mark the planting area so you do not dig into dormant plants before they emerge.

Pruning. Cut dead stems back close to ground level in late winter or early spring, before new shoots develop. Trim or dig out growth that extends beyond its allotted space.

Late winter

Cut back dead stems, taking care not to damage emerging buds.

Spring

Plant or divide once the soil is workable and severe frost has passed.

Late spring

Check for new growth before assuming a dormant patch has died; weed carefully around it.

Summer

Water young plants during dry weather and remove shoots spreading into neighbouring plants.

Autumn

Enjoy the flowers and red foliage; leave stems standing until late winter if they remain tidy.

Late autumn

In colder gardens, add a loose protective mulch without burying the crown.

• Plant over spring bulbs to cover their fading foliage after flowering.
• Use along sunny or lightly shaded border edges for late-season blue flowers.
• Let it spread between established shrubs where the soil is not crowded with dense roots.
• Combine with ornamental grasses and autumn-flowering perennials for contrasting red foliage and blue flowers.
• Use in raised beds or at the top of low retaining walls where drainage is good.

Garden styles it suits: Cottage garden, Autumn colour, Low-maintenance, Dry gravel garden, Blues and silvers and Small-space.

Plant it with: Daffodils, Crocuses, Stonecrops, Dwarf fountain grass, Hardy geraniums and Autumn-flowering asters.

Wildlife: Flowers provide late-season nectar for visiting bees and butterflies.

• Root and crown rot in waterlogged soil: improve drainage or move plants to a raised bed; avoid winter irrigation.
• Winter loss in cold, wet sites: choose a sheltered, freely drained position and apply a loose winter mulch in colder areas.
• Sparse flowering in deep shade: move to a brighter position with several hours of direct sun.
• Unwanted spread into neighbouring plants: lift out the underground stems at the edge of the patch in spring.

Contact with the plant or sap may irritate human skin, so wear gloves if sensitive. It is not known as a major poisoning plant, but reliable species-specific information for cats, dogs and horses is limited. Do not treat any part as edible or allow pets or livestock to browse it.

• Cape leadwort (Plumbago auriculata)

  A much larger, frost-tender, scrambling shrub with usually pale blue flowers in rounded clusters; it does not form the same low, winter-dormant carpet.

• Chinese plumbago (Ceratostigma willmottianum)

  Forms a woody shrub with persistent branching stems, rather than a low perennial patch that dies back to ground level.

Ceratostigma comes from Greek words meaning 'horn' and 'stigma', referring to the flower's horn-like stigmas, while plumbaginoides means resembling Plumbago.

Propagation. Divide established patches in spring, retaining roots and buds on each piece. Softwood cuttings can also be taken in late spring or early summer.

Accepted botanical name

Ceratostigma plumbaginoides

In the US and Canada

Introduced in the lower 48 states.

Native range

China North-Central and China Southeast.

Measured

Average height 30 cm.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.